Homemade Mint Chocolate Ice Cream

Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Mean Lean Ice Cream Machine!

…made in my new ice cream machine! How cool is that guys! I´m super excited! As much as I like making my super easy, two ingredient, no churn ice cream. I also have wanted, for the longest time, to make ice cream in an ice cream maker! The real stuff. I´m very much into artisan and homemade desserts and this is just that *smile*.

Oh man this ice cream is good! The real deal!

Photo Shoot Disaster!

Try taking photos of ice cream on a very hot day.. Oh man it´s not easy! I had the ice cream ready (scooped on the cone and all) left in the freezer overnight, and still it melted during the photo shoot..

It´s hot here.. very hot.. two weeks into this hot Summer weather and I´m already complaining. Is that bad? I guess it is because I was so excited to welcome the warmer weather and now I´m so over it. You see I like warm but not hot.. Extreme temperatures don´t do it for me.. I need normal. Give me normal!

It´s not working!

So I thought I would share these reasons by Bon Appetít why your homemade ice cream might have failed (these are super helpful tips):

1. For an ice cream machine to work properly, it has to be cold. Ice cold. Like, rock-hard, frozen-solid cold. A 30-minute dip in the freezer won’t do the trick, so plan ahead and chill it properly before starting a batch. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a slightly agitated soupy mess—not the frozen treat of our dreams. Also, says executive editor Christine Muhlke, be sure that your machine is completely dry before filling it. A little water around the sides will freeze and halt the motion of the machine. No motion means no churning, and no churning means, well, you guessed it: no ice cream.

2. A good ice cream starts with an expertly made custard base. To achieve this, the milk and cream are combined with sugar and cooked over the stovetop. Egg yolk is whisked in and the mixture is cooked slowly until it thickens. But cooking the custard too hot or too quickly will cause the egg to scramble, rather than transform the dairy into a velvety sauce. To avoid scrambled-egg ice cream, keep the heat below medium, and stir it constantly with a rubber spatula, being sure to scrape the sides of the pan as you stir. Test the mixture often by coating the back of a spoon with the sauce. Run your finger across the custard, and if the line is thick enough that it stays put without dripping or running, it’s done—remove it from the heat.

3. A little ice cream is good, so a lot of ice cream is great. We’re all for as much of the stuff as possible, but Muhlke warns against being overzealous: Filling your machine with too much custard will cause the mixture to slop out the sides as it freezes and expands. (The same rule applies, by the way, to food processors and blenders: Never overfill!) Buy a bigger unit or make it in batches, but definitely don’t pack your machine more than two-thirds full.

4. Think you can cut calories by using milk with a lower fat content? Think again. Perry says that the best combination of dairy for a creamy, dreamy ice cream is whole milk mixed with cream. Would half-and-half work? Perry steers clear as a result of the chemical stabilizers often found in it. Consider this: Ice cream is an opportunity to indulge, so don’t skimp on the good stuff.

5. Mix-ins are of extreme importance. Both Perry and Muhlke are fans of the post-machine addition—meaning, those chunks of cookie dough, chocolate chips, and nuts should be folded in once the machine has been turned off. And unless you like sinking your teeth into a rock-hard frozen strawberry, make sure your chunks are small enough to eat without chewing. If it’s a swirl you’re after, says Perry, be sure to cook it, lest it gets icy and frozen solid. Cooking fruit into a jam is a fine idea, and if you’re looking for a peanut buttery streak, cook it with a little cream—the addition will keep the nut butter from becoming too hard. Once you’ve cooked your swirl-in (fudge, jam, caramel, whatever), wait until the machine’s stopped. Transferring it from the base of the machine to its storage container will be just enough to mix it in properly.

6. Congratulations! You made ice cream! We’re sure you can’t wait to dig in, but a little patience and prudence is a must here. Many people over mix the ice cream, attempting to freeze it and get it super-chilled right in the machine. This is a big “don’t,” as overmixing will cause the ice cream to turn, well, icy. “Ice cream’s optimal texture doesn’t happen in the machine—it happens in the freezer,” says Perry. So if it’s a smooth, rich, cold, firm—yet pleasantly scoopable—treat you’re after and not a lukewarm, soupy one, process it until just-done, and give it a couple of hours to firm up in the freezer.

7. Once ice cream is properly chilled, it should be firm but not a solid, concrete-like mass. Let it sit at room temperature for about five minutes (yes, we know: So much waiting!), and then use a wet—not hot—scoop to dole it out. A wet spoon will slide in easily; a hot one will just melt it into a mess.

Leave the bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer overnight (the longer the better).

Start by blanching the mint for 30 seconds in a strainer over a pot with boiling water.

Remove it from heat and immediately immerse them into an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

Transfer the greens into a blender, adding a few tablespoons of cold water. Blend on high speed for 2-3 minutes. Once you have a puree, blending is complete.

Strain the juice of the greens mixture over 2 cups of heavy whipping cream (Tip: use only half and see if you like the taste and if the mint taste is strong enough, if not add the other half of the juice).

Now add 3/4 cups of white sugar and a pinch of salt for taste. Mix well.

Once the mixture has blended, transfer it to the ice cold bowl of your ice cream maker.

Turn mixer on low speed and let the ice cream churn for about 30 - 45 minutes (this will depend on the heat in your kitchen).

Once you have a thick, but creamy, texture add in about 1/2 cup of dark chocolate shavings.

When it is thoroughly mixed, let the mixture set up in the freezer for a few hours or until the ice cream has reach the consistency you prefer.

Popsicles too!

As you can see in the last two images, I also made some Mint Chocolate Popsicles.

These remind me of popsicles we used to get in South Africa when I was a child, called Eskimo Pie. The Mint Choc one was my favourite. It was a mint ice cream pop dipped into milk chocolate and I loved it!

Hope you guys have had a good week, if you follow me on Instagram you would have seen a photo of the pool of the hotel where we stayed this weekend. I took my 16 year old daughter to her first ever live concert of a very popular Spanish singer called Pablo Alborán. All the teenager girls here in Spain love him (ok if I must say so myself he is not bad looking at all).. *smile* but as a mother you don´t want to see or hear your daughter swoon over any guy.. *smile again* #motherwithteenagerdaughterproblems

Oh man this ice cream looks so good! And I totally know what you mean by photographing ice cream…it’s darn near impossible! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Dream. Create. Inspire. I hope you join us again tomorrow night!

I know what you mean abut ice cream being so hard to take pictures of. It’s always going off and melting. The nerve! 🙂 I’m also liking how you used real mint leaves for the flavor. 🙂 I hope you can stop on by and share this or any other recipe with us on Five Friday Finds!

Hi Johlene, thanks so much for leaving me a comment on my blog Little Brags (The ARIZONA MODEL HOME POST) I tried to reply directly to your comment but you came up as a non reply blogger. THanks so much again!!! I see on your Google Profile you live in Spain??? I spend all my childhood summers there!!!! Christine from Little Brags

Honestly, I’ve never been a huge mint eater. I don’t even care for peppermint candy at times lol. But I think you just might be making me a believer. I am so in love with how this looks. I may have to try it.

Wow! They look just too good right now!! Its 10.37 in the morning and all I want is mint ice cream – thanks for that haha!! Will definitely be popping this recipe in my bookmarked list – will share the <3 Germaine